Mnangagwa Sworn In As Zimbabwe’s President

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa officially became the country’s second leader since independence after resignation of Robert Mugabe on Tuesday. On Friday, he was sworn in as President of Zimbabwe, becoming the country’s second leader since independence from minority rule in 1980.

Mnangagwa took his oath of office in front of tens of thousands of jubilant Zimbabweans who had gathered at a stadium in Harare, after greeting the crowd with a raised fist.

Mnangagwa is a 75-year-old stalwart of the ruling Zanu-PF party, widely known as “the Crocodile” – a liberation war nickname that may have stuck because it suited his reputation for ruthless cunning.